Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
Mark Twain
I am very proud of my extremely talented colleague Sarah Tucker – a prolific writer who has produced a very interesting new book called The A to Zen of Travel “for the lifetime of your journey”. If you’re looking for a gift to give a traveller this Christmas it provides interesting insight into what sort of choices you should make on where to spend your time abroad, depending on what frame of mind, state of being and the situation you are in at the time and would no doubt prompt some healthy discussions. “Journeys never lead you to where you expect” she says and her guidebook tells you how to look at things rather than what to look at and how journeys will and do help you emotionally.
She gives lots of advice as to a whole new way to plan your trips; who to travel with and where, but most importantly where (and who) you should avoid, depending on how you are feeling. The book explores which climates and cultures are therapeutic for loneliness, anxiety, depression and other states of being, suggesting places where you can go to think, to relax, breathe and find yourself again.
Sarah is definitely the woman for the job – one of those women who effortlessly takes on new roles with enthusiasm and style – she is an established travel writer and author, but in the time I’ve known her she has become a yoga teacher and learnt the art of Zen in more ways than one. Every time I see her she has an additional string to her very big bow and even now she is training to become a psychologist and then who knows what she’s going to do next. Rule the world probably. I have a massive respect for all that she does and wish I had half her energy and talent.
Edward de Bono has written the foreward and describes it as an “innovative and fascinating book which will greatly increase your enjoyment of travel”. It’s a brave subject to write about as there are so many considerations and you could almost take each state of mind and dedicate a whole book per issue. In this book Sarah has covered everything so it can be used as a reference book to dip in and out of when required.
